Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Numbers 7:48/אור החיים על במדבר ז׳:מ״ח
אאֱלִישָׁמָע בֶּן עַמִּיהוּד. רַזַ״ל אָמְרוּ (תנחומא) רַבִּי מֵאִיר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קָרְחָה הָיוּ דּוֹרְשִׁים אֶת הַשֵּׁמוֹת: ״אֱלִישָׁמָע בֶּן עַמִּיהוּד״ – אֵלַי שָׁמַע וְלַאֲדוֹנָתוֹ לֹא שָׁמַע, עִמִּי הָיָה הוֹדוֹ וְלֹא עִם הָרְשָׁעִים, עַד כָּאן. נִרְאֶה כִּי יְכַוֵּן הַכָּתוּב בְּמַאֲמַר אֵלִי שָׁמָע, שֶׁטַּעַם שֶׁפֵּרַשׁ יוֹסֵף לֹא לְצַד שׁוּם מֵחוּשׁ אֲשֶׁר יְסֻבַּב מֵהַמַּעֲשֶׂה, אֶלָּא לְצַד יִרְאַת ה׳, כְּאָמְרוֹ (בראשית לט:ט): ״וְחָטָאתִי לֵאלֹהִים״, וְהוּא מַאֲמַר אֵלַי שָׁמָע. עוֹד יִרְצֶה עַל פִּי דִּבְרֵיהֶם שֶׁאָמְרוּ (סוטה לו:) שֶׁנִּדְמָה לוֹ דְּיוֹקְנוֹ שֶׁל אָבִיו וְכוּ׳, וְהֵן יָדוּעַ כִּי הוּא מַרְאֵה הַשְּׁכִינָה, כִּי אָבִיו בִּמְקוֹמוֹ לֹא יָדַע דָּבָר וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם עוֹדֶנּוּ חַי, אֶלָּא אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהוּא מַאֲמַר אֵלַי שָׁמָע. וְכָפַל לוֹמַר עוֹד עַמִּיהוּד לִרְמֹז מַה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (שם): ״וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֵלֶיהָ לִשְׁכַּב אֶצְלָהּ לִהְיוֹת עִמָּהּ״, פֵּרוּשׁ ״לִשְׁכַּב״ וְגוֹ׳ כִּפְשׁוּטוֹ, ״לִהְיוֹת עִמָּהּ״ – שֶׁתָּבְעָה מִמֶּנּוּ לְקֵרוּב בְּשָׂרוֹ לִבְשָׂרָהּ וְלֹא רָצָה, וְהוּא מַאֲמַר ״עִמִּי הוֹדוֹ״ וְכוּ׳. וְרַזַ״ל שֶׁאָמְרוּ ״עִם רְשָׁעִים״ לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים, אוּלַי שֶׁכַּוָּנָתָם לוֹמַר שֶׁלֹּא מֵאֵשֶׁת פּוֹטִיפַר לְבַד נִשְׁמַר אֶלָּא מִכַּמָּה כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהּ.
1 אלשמע בן עמיהוד. Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korchah are quoted in Tanchuma on our verse as saying that the name Elishama suggests that whereas "Joseph listened to the commands of G'd, he did not listen to the command of his mistress to sleep with her. He did not make common cause with the wicked." Joseph did not desist from sinning because he was not tempted but because he was obedient to G'd's imperatives as he pointed out to the wife of Potiphar when he described giving in to his urge as a sin against G'd (Genesis 39,9). This is what is meant by Elishama, i.e אלי שמע, "he listened to Me." Our sages in Sotah 36 explained that at the crucial moment he had a vision of the face of his father. Clearly, this is a reference to a divine image which resembled the face of Jacob. After all, his father was in Canaan and had no inkling of what temptation his son faced at the time not even knowing that Joseph was still alive. What Joseph beheld in the vision was what is known as אביר יעקב אלוקי ישראל. When the sages in the Midrash spoke of the wicked in the plural, they may have referred to many similar temptations that Joseph withstood successfully. The reason the same idea occurs a second time in the name of the father of Elyasaph, i.e. עמיהוד is to hint what the Torah told us in that verse in Genesis that he did not listen to Mrs Potiphar who requested that Joseph agree to be physically close to her. Joseph preferred to remain close to G'd, i.e. עמי הודו.